CRASHAW, RICHARD. - English poet, born in London in 1612, died at Loreto on 21 Aug. 1649. The son of an anti-papal preacher, after the victory of the Puritans he entered the Catholic Church and lived in Rome as secretary to Card. Pallotta. Together with G. Herbert, he is one of the foremost religious poets of the 17th century, but he differs from all the others in the fervour and ecstasy that radiate from his verses.
Rather than to English sacred poetry, he is connected with Italian and Spanish poetry and, among his many translations, mention should be made of that of Marino’s Sospetto d'Erode (1637). His ardent religious temperament was especially drawn to S. Teresa, whose life inspired the lyrics Hymn to the name and honour of the admirable s. Theresa and The flaming heart, upon the book and picture of aerephical s. Theresa, to which C. chiefly owes his fame. Less polished than Herbert, C. is often uneven and excessive, but his lyrics, full of conceits in accordance with the tradition of the time, are also rich in vivid and effective images and wholly permeated by a religious fire that often reaches the highest peaks of spirituality, as in Carmen Deo Nostro (posthumous, Paris 1652), one of his most mature works. Among his non-sacred lyrics, the most famous, Wishes to his (supposed) Mistress, should be mentioned.